Mechanism for securing forms from a position of safety



Sept. 2, 1969 c. WILLIAMS MECHANISM FOR SECURING FORMS FROM A POSITION OF SAFETY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 49 INVENTOR. Chesier I. Williams ATTORNEY c. WILLIAMS ,666

3 [TTON OF SAFETY Sept. 2, 1969 MECHANISM FOR SECURING FORMS FROM A PO 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1967 ATTORNEY C. l. WILLIAMS Sept. 2, 1969 MECHANISM FOR SECURING FQRMS FROM A POSITION OF SAFETY 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 5, 1967 R O T N E V m r e T S e h C Williams ATTORNEY 3,464,666 MECHANISM FOR SECURING FORMS FROM A PQSITIQN OF SAFETY Chester I. Williams, 347 Greenbriar SE., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49506 Filed June 5, 1967, Ser. No. 643,453 Int. Cl. E041: 1/16; E04g 11/22 U.S. Cl. 249- 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Summary of the invention Concrete structures of large size are normally developed in successive pours of five to ten feet in depth. Dams and abutments are common examples of this port of construction, and the form panels that define the outer vertical surfaces are secured in place through the use of anchors embedded in the concrete as each pour is made. Once the concrete has hardened, those anchors become accessible as securing points to hold the form in place as the next pour above is made. The common manner of ,"positioning the anchor devices for placement in the poured concrete results in the formation of an access socket in the formed face, in which a heavy bolt can be engaged with the threaded end of the anchor. This bolt is conventionally engaged as the form structure is suspended from a crane or equivalent device, and requires the presence of a workman on the outside of the form, which may be several hundred feet above ground. This is a definitely hazardous occupation, and the placement of these form panels and the heavy bolts requires considerable skill. The preferred form of the present invention provides a series of components that permit the form panel to be rested upon a short member secured directly to the anchor device, and this member is engaged by an extendable coupling system mounted on the form. In the projected position, this coupling can be interengaged with the fixed member secured to the anchor while the form is withdrawn from the face of the concrete by sufficient amount to permit the coupling to be manipulated by a workman standing on the inside of the form on the concrete surface. Once the interengagement has been completed, controls are available to the workman standing in this same safe position which will cause the form to be drawn down onto the formed surface. An arrangement is also provided by this invention for locking the form securely in this position. The primary advantages of this arrangement are in the saving of time in the placement of the forms, and in the decrease in the hazard to the workman to the point that the higer pay scales associated with hazardous operations are eliminated.

Detailed description The several features of the invention will be analyzed in detail through a discussion of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

States Patent 0 3,464,666 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the placement of a form section under the direction of a workman standing on the top of the previous pour of the concrete.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the special bolt attached to the anchor device embedded in the concrete.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the bolt from the opposite side from that shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional elevation showing the relationship of the anchor device and the special bolt preparatory to receive the coupling and the locking pin.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional elevation showing the first position of engagement of the coupling and the bolt, with the form in the withdrawn position.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the same mechanism after the coupling has been retracted to pull the form down against the formed face.

FIGURE 7 is a view of the upper portion of the form showing the manner of placement of the anchors and the bolts in the space to be occupied by newly poured concrete.

FIGURE 8 is a section on the plane 88 of FIG- URE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a section showing the coupling member.

FIGURE 10 is a section on a horizontal plane showing the retracting mechanism for manipulating the coupling.

FIGURE 11 is a section on an enlarged scale showing a locking device for securing the clamped condition of the form.

FIGURE 12 is a section on an enlarged scale showing the locking device of FIGURE 11 in position.

FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of the locking device.

FIGURE 14 shows a modified form of the invention, and illustrates the placement of the anchor device with a modified bolt segment.

FIGURE 15 shows the fully assembled bolt utilizing the construction shown in FIGURE 14.

FIGURE 16 is a view on a horizontal plane showing the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 15.

FIGURE 17 is a perspective view showing the use of a key for application of torque to remove the bolt segment from the anchor device.

Referring to FIGURE 1 and the related views, the form panels 20 and 21 are shown being placed in position preparatory to pouring a quantity of concrete On top of the previous pour 22. A workman is shown standing on the top surface 23 of this pour, and the presence of the fully-secured form 20 provides a considerable degree of safety for the Workman as he guides the crane operator moving the panel 21 in position for the engagement of the securing mechanism. The sequence of this engagement is best shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6. The form section 21 is of standard steel construction, and includes the face plate 24, a group of horizontal beams 25-30 of channelshaped cross section, and usually several pairs of channels in fairly close back-to-back relationship as shown at 31 and 32 in FIGURES 10 and 12. These latter vertical beams extend across the horizontal beams to transfer the forces from the pressure of the concrete to the securing system.

The anchor devices 33 are conventional, and have crimped steel rod anchoring portions 33a. The threaded outer ends 3312 of these rods are fixed with respect to the anchor portion 33a, and are engaged by the special bolts shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. These bolts are indicated generally at 35, and include a tapered inner portion 36, and a head 37. This head is slotted as shown at 38, and has a transverse hole extending through the portions on both sides of the slot. A groove 40 intersects the slot 38 to receive the offset head 41 of the locking pin 42. Preferably, the slot 38 is flared at its outer extremity, as shown at 43, and the outside surface on the head is provided with generally conical surfaces 44 and 45 to facilitate the interengagement of the coupling system.

The assembly of the bolt 35 and the anchors 33 are placed in position with the device shown in FIGURE 7. Holes are provided in the face panel 24 of approximately a thirty-second of an inch greater diameter than the diameter of the cylinder defining the periphery of the head 37. A tubular socket 46 of approximately the same inside diameter as the hole in the panel 24 is welded in place as shown in FIGURE 7, and receives the head 37 so that the inner extremity of the head is coplanar with the inside surface of the face plate 24. This position is maintained through the interengagement of the pin 47, which may be identical to the pin 42 shown in FIGURE 2. The pin traverses suitable openings in the socket 46 disposed to maintain the correct placement of the bolt. These bolt-anchor assemblies are usually placed in the form when the newly-poured concrete is within two or three feet of the anchor positions. This practice eliminates the danger of projecting anchors injuring a workman in the area back of the form.

The reciprocating coupling member 48 has a shank 49 traversing the tubular piston rod 50 moving within the cylinder 51. The end structure 52 of the cylinder is secured to the vertical beams of the form by bolts, as shown at 53 and 54 in FIGURES 10 and 12. The construction of the cylinder 51 is conventional, and forms no part of the present invention. Normally, seals will be included in the end 52 and in the opposite end 55 of the cylinder so that the tubular piston rod. 50 may move through these walls without leakage of air or fluid, whichever is used in the particular instance. The coupling device 48 is preferably blocked against rotation by being provided with a square configuration in cross section, which provides top and bottom surfaces 56 and 57 and also parallel side surfaces 58 and 59. The top surface is disposed to bear against the bottom surface of the horizontal beam 25, and the side surfaces 58 and 59 are received between the beams 31 and 32, thus preventing rotation of the coupling in both the retracted and extended positions. The tongue 60 is preferably receivable within the slot 38 with about a thirty-second of an inch clearance, and the extended position of the coupling shown in FIGURE is obtained by the application of pressure in the line 61, which drives the piston 62 to the left, as shown in FIGURE carrying the tubular piston rod 50 with it. The line 64 may be considered as a return, or exhaust line, under these conditions. Pressure differentials between the lines 61 and 64 are obtainable by manipulation of the handle 65 associated with the conventional pump 66 shown in FIGURE 1, resting on the top surface 23' of the previous pour of concrete. The unit 66 will normally include a selector valve which will determine which of the lines 61 or 64 shall deliver pressure, the opposite functioning as a return line.

With the coupling 48 projected forward as shown in FIGURE 5, the tongue 60 is received within the slot 38. As soon as the form structure has been aligned laterally to permit the hole 39 and the hole 67 to receive the pin 42, the placement of the pin can easily be made in the open space between the formed face 68 of the concrete 22 and the face plate 24 of the form structure. The pin can be dropped in place by the workman as a direct manual operation, or the pin can be held in a suitable extension which will permit him to do this from a standing position somewhat set back from the edge of the concrete. Once the pin is in position, as shown in FIGURE 5, the application of pressure to the line 64 associated with the cylinder 51 will cause the form to be pulled down to the face 68 in the position shown in FIGURE 6. The groove 40 in the top of the bolt 35 permits the offset end 41 of the pin to be received below the top tangent to the head 37, so that it does not interfere with the support of the beam 25.

When the form has been drawn down securely into place, as shown in FIGURE 6, it may be desirable to lock the form in this position so that the placement of it is not dependent upon the maintenance of pressure. When the tubular piston rod 50 is withdrawn to the right, as shown in FIGURES 6 and 12, the shank 49 and the surrounding 'portion of the tubular piston rod 50 extend sufiiciently from the end 55 of the cylinder 51 to receive the U- shaped clip 69. The shank 49 is threaded, as shown at 70, at its outer extremity. The washer 71 and the nut 72 are received over this portion of the shank, and the nut 72 may be tightened over the clip 69 to maintain the clamping action independently of the presence of pressure within the cylinder 51. Since the form is held securely in position by the presence of pressure in the cylinder at the time the clip 69 is installed and the nut 72 tightened, the manipulation of these components can be accomplished :by a workman standing on a standard scaffold secured to the form panel without involving substantial hazard.

The method of securing a form panel in position by a clamping unit operable from the concrete side of the form can also be carried out through the utilization of more conventional bolt and clamping devices, as shown in FIG- URES 14 through 17. Since it is desirable to be able to place the form on a support for alignment, and since it is equally desirable that extensive projection from the formed face of the concrete is avoided so that the supports are not bent or displaced, the securing bolt generally indicated at 72 in FIGURE 15 may be separated into an inner stub section 73 and an outer, or securing section 74. This outer section is threaded over a major portion of its length for receiving the wing nut 75, and the junction between the inner and outer sections 73 and 74 of the bolt may be interconnected through the use of male and female thread systems on the outer and inner sections, respectively, interengaged as shown at 76. One-piece bolts may be used, if desired. The bracket 77 spans across the gap between the beams 78a and 78b of conventional form structure similar to that shown in FIG- URE 1 and is preferably bolted to the beams as shown to retain the bracket and the outer bolt sections in engagement with the forms, thus saving much repeated handling of these members. This form structure is generally designated at 79, and rests against the formed surface 80 of the concrete. The face plate 81 is provided with convenient access openings (not shown) through which an operator standing on the top surface of the concrete 82 can reach through and connect the outer bolt section 74 with the inner bolt section 73 while the form structure 79 is resting on the stub 73. Where one-piece bolts are used, it is even possible to connect these with the anchor devices from a position on the concrete, prior to, or in connection with, the location of the form, or mount them on the form for sliding axially to and from an extended position, and rotatably so they may be screwed into the anchor devices from the concrete side. The access openings in the face plate 81 are of any convenient construction to include a suitable removable cover to prevent the outflow of poured concrete, and the cover can either be applied from the inside or outside of the form panels. In either event, the cover should be flush with the inside face of the face plate 81 to preserve a continuity of the formed surface 80.

The placement of the anchors and the inside sections 73 of the bolts is accomplished through the arrangement shown in FIGURE 14. The anchor device 83 is engaged with threading on the tapered inner portion 84 of the bolt section 73, and the cylindrical portion 85 of the bolt section is traversed by a diametral hole 86 for receiving the pin 87. The socket 88 has an inside diameter approximately a thirty-second of an inch larger than that of the cylindrical portion 85 of the bolt section 73, and a hole of similar diameter is provided in the face plate 81, with the hole and the socket 88 forming a substantially continuous opening for positioning the anchor 83 and the bolt section 73. After the concrete has been poured about the an chor 83, and the concrete has set, the form can be removed after the pin 87 and the wing nut 75 have been removed. The form is backed off to the right, as shown in FIGURES 15 and 16 a sufiicient amount to disengage the socket 88 from the portion 85 of the bolt section. To keep foreign material out of the internal threading in the bolt section 73, it is preferable to incorporate a plug 89 which can be removed by a pin traversing the diametral hole 90.

A significant advantage of the arrangement shown in FIGURES 1 through 13 is in the ability of the cylinder 51 to assist not only in pulling the form in place, but in inducing the lateral separation sufiicient to disengage the form from the set concrete and the bolts received in the sockets 46 and 88. The application of pressure in the line 61 will induce movement of the form from the FIGURE 6 to the FIGURE 5 position, thus breaking the face plate 24 from the formed face 68. This maneuver is, of course, accomplished while the hook 91 of a crane is engaged with the form structure to maintain its support. The top surface of the form is easily worked loose by the crane operator by controlling the direction of lift. The formed face is usually slanted (battered); and in such case, a vertical lift will tend to pull the form away from the face of the concrete. These forces, in conjunction with those applied by the cylinder 51, can easily back the form structure away enough to disengage it from the securing mechanism. Once it has been pushed back to the FIGURE 5 position, a workman can reach down through the gap between the formed face and the form structure with a tool, and withdraw the pins 42. The coupling members 48 can then be withdrawn by actuation of the pump 66, or by any convenient pressurized system diet may control a series of these securing assemblies.

The particular embodiments of the present invention which have been illustrated and discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered as a limitation upon the scope of the appended claims. In these claims, it is my intent to claim the entire invention disclosed herein, except as I am limited by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A mechanism for securing forms in position to confine successive pours of concrete, the mechanism including an anchor device embedded in a previous pour and accessible at the formed face of said pour, wherein the improvement comprises:

reciprocating means mounted on said form and having a coupling extendable inwardly from the plane of the face of said form for engagement with means fixed with respect to said anchor device, locking means for securing said engagement; and

said reciprocating means including retracting means for pulling said form into engagement with said formed face, said retracting means having operating means on the face side of said form.

2. A mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said means fixed with respect to said anchor device includes a bolt having a head extending outwardly from said formed face.

3. A mechanism as defined in claim 2, wherein said bolt and coupling have interengageable portions provided with alignable openings, and said locking means includes a pin insertable in said openings.

4. A mechanism as defined in claim 3, wherein said pin has a head, and said bolt head has a recess in the top surface thereof for receiving the said head.

5. A mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said retracting means includes a piston-cylinder assembly.

6. A mechanism as defined in claim 5, wherein said assembly includes a tubular piston rod extending through opposite ends of a cylinder.

7. A mechanism as defined in claim 6, wherein said retracting means includes a lock interposed between means fixed with respect to said cylinder and with respect to the end of said reciprocating member.

8. A mechanism as defined in claim 7, wherein said reciprocating member includes a member traversing said tubular piston rod and having a nut at the outer end, the inner end thereof being connected to said coupling.

9. A mechanism as defined in claim 8, wherein said coupling and form have interengageable stop means preventing rotation of said coupling.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,669,000 2/1954 Seemann 24910 2,857,647 10/1958 Williams 249-10 2,962,789 12/1960 Williams 24910 3,071,837 1/1963 Cerutti 249-10 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner ROBERT D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29-446; 26433 

